Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah leaves Buckingham Palace, following his two-day State Visit to London (R)
London, Asharq Al Awsat- King Abdullah left Britain Thursday, ending the first visit by a Saudi King in 20 years
The King left London for Switzerland for a private visit before continuing his European tour in Italy, Germany and Turkey.
During his visit king Abdullah met with Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, with whom he discussed terrorism and the Middle East peace process.
The King met separately with Conservative leader David Cameron and former Prime Minister Tony Blair. He also visited Prince Charles, heir to the throne, at Clarence House to discuss activities undertaken by the prince’s charities in Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah is due to meet Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican City on Tuesday in the first encounter between a pope and a Saudi monarch.
In other news, Gulf States are willing to set up a body to provide enriched uranium to Iran to defuse Tehran’s stand-off with the West over its nuclear plan, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister told a newspaper on Thursday.
“We have proposed a solution, which is to create a consortium for all users of enriched uranium in the Middle East,” Prince Saud al-Faisal told the Middle East Economic Digest.
“(We will) do it in a collective manner through a consortium that will distribute according to needs, give each plant its own necessary amount, and ensure no use of this enriched uranium for atomic weapons,” he said.
King Abdullah arrives in Geneva (SPA)
King Abdullah attends party held in his honor at the Saudi Embassy in London (SPA)